After Saw
by Rain611
Summary: My take on what happened after Saw, assuming Adam survived. Conflicts with the films. Spoilers if you haven't seen Saw, Saw 2, Saw 3, or Saw 4. T for violence. Now completely rewritten.
1. Pt 1: Chapter 1

**After Saw Pt 1**

**The Light Shining Through the Darkness**

**Chapter 1**

It seemed like days that he had been in this newfound darkness, although the notorious Jigsaw killer only just recently shut out the light. Adam now sat against the many pipes that covered his corner of the bathroom thinking about how he could have been so stupid as to miss the key in the tub. He should have paid more attention to what was right in front of him, he thought. Had he done so he would not be caught in this mess. It seemed like he had been looking beyond the importance of what was right in front of him more often lately. It was probably the reason he was taken.

Adam breathed deeply and he tried to calm himself. He grasped his wounded right shoulder with his left hand. The blood was still flowing although not so rapidly anymore. Regardless, the pain was getting worse. He shifted his position in order to comfort himself more and began to doze. God only knew how long it would take before Lawrence came back with someone...if he even came back. He knew that he needed to conserve his energy in this hell. He had no food supply and the idea of eating Zepp didn't exactly appeal to Adam.

"I'll bring someone back, I promise...," Larry had said just before he dragged himself from the decrepit bathroom. He crawled slowly through the doorway and then was gone. Adam's only hope was gone, and although Adam had no doubts that Lawrence would get help given the chance, it was the slight odds of the chance presenting itself that worried him.

"Don't leave me!" Adam heard himself begging, for the last thing he wanted was to be alone.

Adam woke with a jerk, not wanting to relive the events that had recently taken place. He saw nothing but darkness and it frightened him briefly until he regained his senses and the memory of what had happened. He looked down in the general direction of his shoulder as he slowly moved his arm up and down, forward and back, trying to get the stiffness out. He sighed now possibly from boredom, or perhaps more secretly, to hear some sound in this darkness and he once again began to reflect on the events that led him to this place.

**-----**

Lawrence began to feel the effects of his actions immediately after they occurred and now the he was feeling much worse. He had just left Adam in the bathroom, still chained to a pipe in the far corner. He had to reach someone. He had to get help. After all, he made a promise and he always kept his promises.

Larry stopped dragging himself as he heard the heavy wooden door close. This didn't make sense. Did Adam somehow escape? Did he find a key somewhere? At this point he was too worn out to waste his energy crawling back to check. Just as he was beginning to crawl again Larry was halted by the sound of footsteps.

"Adam, is that you?" Lawrence cried weakly, but he got no response. As he shifted to look over his shoulder his leg screamed with pain. His adrenaline level had begun to drop and the pain of amputating his own foot was catching up to him.

"Adam?" He called once again and suddenly saw a figure in the dark; A figure that wasn't Adam. Just before the figure reached him Larry fainted, exhausted from his loss of blood.

-----

"I found him dragging himself through the street," the old man said, his voice heavy and scratchy. "I can't imagine what happened; his foot is gone!"

Lawrence drowsily opened his eyes, and was shocked to see seemingly familiar fluorescent lights. Remembering the affairs in the bathroom he began to panic.

"Sir, it'll be okay; we've just cleaned and covered your wound. You lost a lot of blood but you should be fine." It was a young nurse...probably an intern. He could tell by her lack of professionalism. "You're dad brought you in just in time. Had he waited any longer you would've died."

'My dad?' Lawrence thought to himself, suddenly confused. His dad had died when he was a child...and the last thing he remembered was crawling through that disgusting hallway just outside of the bathroom. Before he could think any further Lawrence fell heavily asleep as he was given sedatives to help him sleep through most of his pain. He woke in an unfamiliar place and his stomach knotted with worry as he realized where he was.


	2. Pt 1: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

By now Adam believed that at least a day had passed since Lawrence left him. His shoulder was aching worse and he now feared moving it, as the bleeding finally stopped. The last thing he wanted to do was re-open the gunshot wound in his shoulder, however by now he was severely dehydrated. His mouth was dry and his lips chapped. He had to get a drink.

'Well, the toilet's out of the question...,' he thought to himself and then his eyes lit up as he remembered his rude awakening in the tub.

As he slowly lifted himself to a standing position, the pain in Adam's shoulder returned. He slowly covered the wound with his left hand once again, ensuring that pressure remained on the wound, if not to keep his shoulder from bleeding then to dull the pain. He stiffly walked over to the rusted bathtub and felt for the knob to turn on the water. Seconds later he found it, much to his relief.

He placed his hands under the cool running water and started to feel better. He rinsed the stickiness of dried blood from his hand and began to drink. When he drank his fill, he began to bathe his wounded shoulder. The cool water felt good against the burn of the wound. After he cleaned the wound as well as he could have with his resources, he settled back down in his corner and slept.

**-----**

Lawrence slowly came out of his deep sleep. His aching muscles were comforted by the soft mattress that he now lay on and the lights were dimmer here. He was covered with a thin, worn blanket faded blue in color. As he regained his senses, he heard talking coming from another room. He recognized the old man's voice but he didn't realize at the moment who the young woman was that he was talking to; perhaps a daughter?

"Hello?" he muttered, still a little foggy from his sleep. The old man appeared next to him within a few minutes and sat in a chair that was placed next to Lawrence's bed. Lawrence suddenly became confused and worried. This seemed to be the man that was on the floor in the bathroom; his former patient, John. But that couldn't be; the man on the floor was dead...a suicide after losing to Jigsaw's game.

"Hello Doctor, how are you feeling?" John said, quite calmly. Lawrence lay there, stunned as he tried to fit the pieces together.

"Don't worry, I can clear this up for you." John said. "I took you to teach you a lesson; you did not appreciate the family you had so I taught you to appreciate them. Had you not so desperately sacrificed your body to see them again I would not have helped you. You are very fortunate to be alive, Doctor."

"What about Adam?" Lawrence asked sternly.


	3. Pt 1: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Lawrence! Calm down, there's got to be a way out of here!" Adam exclaimed. He was helpless; chained to the opposite end of the bathroom as he watched Lawrence desperately reach for the cell phone, whose constant ring was now haunting him.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Lawrence screamed back at him.

As Adam continued to try to comfort Lawrence his words were dulled by Lawrence's cries of despair, as he failed to reach the phone. He watched in desperation as Lawrence reached for the rusted hacksaw and removed his shirt to use as a pathetic tourniquet. Adam, overwhelmed with fear, continued to watch Lawrence as he began to cut into his own flesh in order to free himself.

Adam woke, this time not only with a jerk, but now he found that he was screaming loudly as he was once again plagued by the memories that filled his head. As he realized that these horrid events had already passed he began to breathe less hurriedly.

"Damn it..." he said to himself. "I can't sleep because of the dreams...I can't stay awake because of the pain...what am I going to do?" he cried in panic, and once again was on the verge of tears. "This is hopeless; I'm doomed to die in this place."

**-----**

"Your friend Adam was chosen to play the game because he had become distant from those most important to him. He had to be shown that he can not abandon people in his life so willingly." John explained matter-of-factly to Lawrence, who was listening closely to his words.

"But Adam learned his lesson, he told me just before I did what I had to do in order to free myself. He told me that he wished that he was closer to his family; he wished that he could change the past..." Lawrence pleaded. John looked at him, listening to his every word, yet he seemed unbothered by the fact that he had left Adam in the bathroom to die a miserable death.

John once again began to explain himself.

"I understand your concern for Adam; my tests are not pleasant experiences, for if they were my victims would not learn to appreciate that which they have lost sight of. Adam once again failed to see what was placed right in front of him; he is quick to panic, and doesn't realized that all he needs is there with him."

"I promised..." Lawrence began, "that I would bring someone back...I promised..."

"I can think of only one thing that would allow me to live with the decision of freeing one of my victims without them fully completing their game..." Jigsaw said, "I want you to make a choice. Are you willing to help me with my work in order to free your friend?"

Lawrence lay in shock as he contemplated Jigsaw's request. 'How could I devote myself to such a life of torture and pain?' Lawrence asked himself, 'and what of Adam? I gave him my word...' He continued to think about his decision as John once again began to speak.

"I'll give you an hour to think about your answer. After that, consider my offer withdrawn, and assume your friend will rot in that room." He said abruptly, and he rose and left the room.

Lawrence lay back down, and continued to think.

"What should I do?" He asked himself aloud.


	4. Pt 1: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By now Adam was not just tortured by the pain from his shoulder, but also the wretched knots in his stomach that had formed over the four days in the bathroom without food. His stomach growled loudly, begging to be fed even the smallest morsel of food. Adam took off his shirt and tied it tightly around his waist to quell the pain in his stomach, although the relief was only temporary.

Because of the infection in his shoulder, movement without intense pain was now impossible. Every time he was forced to move, which was not often now, jolts of pain ran through his arm, paralyzing him; forcing him to cry out, although he knew it would do no good.

"Lawrence...where are you?" Adam pleaded in the darkness. "You promised you'd bring someone back..." As he trailed he started to weep once again. The thought of his dying in this room now sank in fully, and, wracked with pain and exhaustion, was now fully willing to submit himself to death. He sank to the ground, and laid there, his face now covered with tears, waiting for his savior to come.

**-----**

"Have you made your choice yet, Doctor?" John asked as he returned to Lawrence's room. He took a seat in a chair that sat next to the bed and looked intently at Lawrence as he waited for his response.

"Yes..." Lawrence said, after a minute or so of silent thinking. He was looking at the ceiling with a blank stare on his face. "I'd decided to help you," Lawrence said, and then he fixed his gaze on John. "I made a promise...and I always keep my promises."

"You've made a noble decision, Doctor. There is no better action one can do with one's life then to trade it for someone else's." John said, now with a hint of pride. He turned to leave the room, and suddenly turned around. He spoke once again to Lawrence, this time seeming to reassure him. "Don't worry, Doctor. You'll soon see the sense in my actions. You'll soon know how it feels to be appreciated for showing someone the light through the darkness of their ways."

With that, John began once again to head out of the room. He was stopped as Lawrence began to speak.

"When are you going to get Adam?" Lawrence asked. "He can't be doing well in that room; it's been four days."

John turned around with a chuckle. "Don't worry about Adam," he said, "I'll send Amanda to get him for us."

Lawrence's jaw dropped as he recalled his first experience with the police regarding the Jigsaw case.

_A woman, Amanda sits in the interrogation room to Lawrence's right. Her hair is unruly, bangs in her face. Amanda was traumatized…but she still brought it upon herself to say those unlikely words:_

_He helped me._


	5. Pt 1: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Adam continued to weep on the floor until he heard a noise outside the heavy wooden door of the bathroom. Someone was outside! Larry had come through for him! Adam sat up quickly, crying out once again as his shoulder screamed with pain and stiffness. He looked toward the door, although at this point it was impossible to see anything in the complete darkness. He began to breathe more rapidly and the tears beginning to fall were no longer tears of pain, but tears of joy.

Once again, a sound beyond the door. It seemed as though someone was fumbling around with a lock of some sort. After what seemed like hours the door began to open.

Adam shielded his eyes from the flood of intruding light, placing his left hand in front of his face.

"Larry? Is that you? I knew you would come! I knew it!" Adam said now, as he heard the footsteps of someone entering the room. The thought hadn't even entered his mind that it could be anyone else.

"I'm not Larry," the female voice said, "My name is Amanda."

"Please, help me. I need a doctor. I need food..." Adam said, seeming to panic again, as if not sure if this 'Amanda' was here to help. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he lowered his hand.

"Don't worry," she said in a calm voice. "Larry told us about you. I'm here to unlock your chains and bring you to him."

"Oh my God, thank you! Thank God!" As Adam rejoiced, Amanda dug in her pocket and removed a key. She walked over to the lock just below the shackle on his ankle, and within seconds, Adam was freed.

"Now, come with me. This isn't over yet." Amanda said.

Adam rose stiffly. His joints almost seemed to creak and grind under his own weight. When he'd finally brought himself to a standing position, he got his first look at the woman who had granted his freedom. Immediately he began to wrack his brain for a reason why he knew her.

"Do I…?" Adam paused and held out his hand unconsciously as he often did when he spoke. "How do I know you?"

Amanda stopped walking toward the door before her and looked back at Adam. There was something about that hair… "I don't know," she started with a smirk. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Adam asked, a little annoyed. His lack of answers was beginning to eat at him almost as much as his empty stomach.

"You'll get answers later. We have to go."

**----**

When Lawrence woke the next morning he had a feeling of guilt and dread in the pit of his stomach. He had yet to know if John had come through for him, as he was yet to see Adam, and that made his deal with John worse. Lawrence had agreed to participate in the very games that he was just recently a player in without even a guarantee that John kept his word.

Lawrence was jolted fully awake as he heard what could've been the front door open. He figured it was just Amanda coming in with supplies for John as she usually did, in order to insure that he always had what he needed to construct his traps. She was accompanied by someone. Lawrence was unable to comprehend his words but he was sure it was Adam. He sounded bad; he was constantly groaning with pain between what were perhaps questions to his former captor, Jigsaw.

Lawrence sat upright in his bed as he saw John walk through the door slowly and then stop and turn, looking into the doorway out of which he just walked. He was speaking softly, as if speaking to a son.

"Careful Adam; you don't want to hurt yourself. Here, give me your arm."

Lawrence, overcome with relief now started to laugh. The ruthless Jigsaw killer had a soft side, and he kept his word, just as Larry kept his promise.

"Adam!" Larry exclaimed, as he watched Jigsaw place Adam's left arm over his shoulder to help him walk into Lawrence's room.

Adam looked up wearily and weakly smiled at Lawrence as he was assisted to the chair that still sat next to his bed. His once white shirt was stained dark red with dried blood; both his and Zepp's. He sat slowly, as his shoulder still plagued him with unbearable pain with every move he made. When he finally sat down, John looked away from Adam and began to talk to Lawrence.

"I told Amanda not to take Adam to the hospital; after all we have a perfectly good doctor here." John began. "The first thing that I want you to do is take care of Adam's shoulder. Once you've done so, we'll see to it that he gets something to eat." After instructing Lawrence, John left once again, calling Amanda as he returned to the room from whence he came.

"How you holding up, Larry?" Adam asked weakly and tried to smile. His skin was covered in dried blood; his entire left arm, his left shoulder, and countless other places including his face. Wherever he was not covered, his skin was a pale white color.

"Oh my God, Adam; how did you ever survive? I need to tend to your shoulder. Give me a second..." Lawrence said. Lawrence started digging in the desk that sat beside the bed opposite the chair. He dug frantically for a matter of minutes before finally finding gauze to use to wipe Adam's blood away. "Adam, take off your shirt so I can clean all this blood off of you."

Adam removed his shirt slowly as he favored his shoulder. He was dreadfully skinny. Lawrence couldn't help but feel for him when he could see just about every one of Adam's ribs.

"Doctor Gordon," Amanda said, seeming to appear out of nowhere, "John told me that you would need this." She sat a tub of warm, soapy water at the foot of the bed.

"Thank you," Lawrence said awkwardly. "Do you have any bandages; perhaps antibiotic ointments that I can use on Adam's shoulder?"

"No, but I can go get some." She said, and silently left the room.

"You came through." Adam began as Lawrence wet the gauze with the soapy water and began to wipe the dried blood from Adam's arm. "I knew you would..." he paused and laughed. "'Couldn't have done it any faster, huh?"


	6. Pt 2: Chapter 1

**After Saw Pt. 2**

**When The Light Fades, All Grows Dim**

**Chapter 1**

They sat at the table now, like an odd family. One, the father, wore a black robe laced inside with a bright red. The hood was down, revealing a balding head and a stern face. Another, a student, a young woman in her early thirties with short dark hair wearing mostly blue. Next to her sat one of the 'sons'; his shirt removed, revealing a large bandage covering his right shoulder and part of his torso. The forth sat with crutches and a chair to the side where he elevated his leg to reveal a missing foot.

John, Amanda, Adam, and Lawrence were now sitting at the breakfast table, long awaited by the ravenously hungry Adam. "When do we eat?" Adam asked, stomach growling. He still hadn't eaten since before he was captured and thrown into the prehistoric bathroom in which he'd found himself prisoner only days ago. He hadn't had a minute of sleep the night before, although not because of the bullet wound in his shoulder.

"I'm starved." Adam continued, as Amanda and Lawrence sat awkwardly at the table. It was John who spoke first, finding his new table guests in no way awkward.

"Amanda, if you don't mind…" He said, nodding his head slightly, and Amanda slowly rose from the table and headed out of the room. The three remaining sat at the table for a few minutes before Adam and Lawrence began to talk once again.

"How's your leg, Larry?" Adam asked, now looking at Lawrence and the leg he had elevated. Larry looked tired, as if he too, had not slept for days. Little did Adam know that he did not miss sleep due to his leg, but due to worry that Adam would not make it out of the bathroom.

Lawrence glanced down at his leg and looked back at Adam. "I'll be fine. It'll just take a little getting used to…"

"And a lot of pills." Adam cracked, causing a break in the tension that, up until then, flooded the room. Adam laughed to himself briefly, not even acknowledging the fact that nobody else was, and stopped when his shoulder started to flare again. "Ah…" Adam gasped, as he held onto his shoulder with his right hand, just as he had done in the bathroom.

Lawrence jumped in his seat and involuntarily held out his arm to Adam. "Are you okay? Let me look at your shoulder." Lawrence said, as Adam began to remove his hand. As he did so, Adam looked down at his hand and saw more blood there; a lot of blood. His shoulder had begun to bleed again and his bandage was slowly regaining its tint of red. Adam got an annoyed look on his face as he looked at his shoulder again. "It's bleeding again; damn it! Is my shoulder ever going to heal?" He asked rhetorically as he slammed his left hand down on the table in anger.

Lawrence laughed to himself as Adam became frustrated. "It's no big deal Adam, you just need stitches." Lawrence said, as he watched Adam.

"Oh, no way man." Adam started as he began to protest his need for stitches. "It's okay Larry, just give it a few days to-"

"Adam, if I don't stitch you up, you won't stop bleeding and your shoulder will get infected again. We don't want that do we?" Lawrence asked sarcastically, as he watched Adam melt knowing he wouldn't win this battle with Lawrence, now playing the guilt card. "It could be worse Adam." He said, now pointing to where his right foot should've been.

**-----**

Adam hissed in pain as the dull needle entered his shoulder. He sat on the chair on which Lawrence had tended to his shoulder the first time, bringing about a bizarre sense of déjà vu. It definitely wasn't the worst pain he had felt over the past week or so, but that by no means meant the pain was welcomed. "Don't you have anything you can numb my shoulder with or something?" Adam asked Lawrence as he continued to stitch up with bleeding shoulder.

Lawrence paused his stitching and looked up at Adam. He looked better now, Adam thought. Color was returning to his face. "Look, this will only take about ten minutes for me to do. By then anything I give you won't even kick in …" He said, and looked back at Adam's wounded shoulder as he continued his stitching.

"Whatever…"Adam hissed, as he was pricked by the needle again and sharp pains shot through his arm. He looked down at his shoulder as Lawrence continued. Small black stitches now closed most of his wound and the bleeding stopped. He looked away as Lawrence began piercing his skin to make the last stitch.

"There ya go, good as new." Lawrence said, smiling as he finished the last stitch and playfully patted Adam's shoulder just enough for it to hurt. He grabbed his crutches and headed back to the dining room. Adam followed. Lawrence sat down slowly and then once again elevated his leg while Adam returned to his chair and sat, looking at his wound and examining the stitches.

As if on queue, Amanda entered the room with four plates of food, still steaming. The room was suddenly filled with the smell of scrambled eggs and toast, bringing Adam to full alert as his stomach started growling again.

"Thank God, I felt like I was gonna croak any second." Adam said smartly as he reached for his plate. Amanda glared at him briefly before setting a plate in front of John, Lawrence, and then finally setting one in front of her seat before sitting down. "Man, I'da eaten mine raw if I knew I'd get fed any faster." Adam continued, although by now he was talking to himself more than anyone else, as no one was listening.

John ate quietly, his movements stiff and slow. It seemed that his health was abandoning him quickly now. Lawrence watched him and was surprised as he began to feel pity toward the old man.

After breakfast was eaten, Amanda got up and removed the plates from the table. As she left the room, John turned his gaze to Adam. "Adam, would you mind helping Amanda? I have something I want to talk to Doctor Gordon about." He commanded more than asked. Adam looked at him as if to check for clarification. When John offered none, he did as he was told, slowly rising from his chair heading in Amanda's direction.

Adam found Amanda in a kitchen where she was doing the dishes. The kitchen was small; just big enough to fit a small stove, a mini refrigerator, and the sink at which Amanda stood. Everything in the room looked aged and uncared for; just like the bathroom. Adam shuddered as he pushed past memories from his mind.

Adam walked up to the sink next to Amanda and stood there briefly as he waited for any sign that she acknowledged him. When none came, he became annoyed. "John sent me to help you." He said, sounding as annoyed as he felt. Amanda still didn't look at him, as she continued washing the dishes.

"Alright…you don't want to talk to me, that's fine." Adam smirked. "I'll just sit here. Less work for my shoulder." He laughed at his lame remark and stood leaning on the stove as he watched Amanda continue washing the dishes.

"Do you know why he sent you in here?" Amanda asked, not taking her concentration away from the dishes.

"He told me he wanted to talk to Larry…" Adam said, and began to walk toward Amanda. "Do you know something?" His curiosity was beginning to take over now. He stopped just short of the sink and waited for a response. "Hello?"

"Chill out, guy." Amanda said and smiled as she finished washing the dishes. "I have a feeling you and I are going to be good friends later." She said with a smile.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Adam asked, as a mixture of confusion and rage surfaced in his speech. Adam paused, switching his gaze in the direction of the dining room as he heard Lawrence raise his voice, although he could not hear exactly what was being said.

Amanda continued to smile. "Doctor Gordon isn't the only one working for Jigsaw in return for your freedom. You have to pull your weight around here until he says otherwise…" she said, and Adam now had a shocked look on his face. "What, did you think you were off the hook? You're working with me, partner." Amanda said, as she slung a hand towel over shoulder.

"Wait a minute." Adam began. "There's still something you haven't told me. How do I know you?"

Amanda began to walk out of the kitchen and stopped uncomfortably close to Adam. She was quiet for several seconds before speaking a single word to him, barely audible.

"Rockstar." Amanda turned and left when a smile began to tug at her lips.

"_Can I take your picture?"_

Adam returned to the dining room, silently chuckling to himself as he recalled his first meeting with Amanda. Who knew she was a part of this.

Adam stopped abruptly. He stood, frozen, as he began to recall his last moments before his capture. He'd seen Amanda the day he was captured on the staircase in the lobby. She had a duffle bag with her and she was quiet. She seemed hesitant, not wanting to have anything to do with Adam; not wanting to get close.

He hadn't given out very many flyers that day, he recalled. Not that he could blame anyone for not wanting to see the band. Adam was the guitarist in the band and even he could admit that they were nothing special. Not to mention the fluorescent pink paper it was printed on; laughable.

He'd returned to his room sluggishly, listening to his CD player the entire way. It was one of his closest friends; it never talked back to him or lied to him. It simply listened and offered everlasting music…well, until he'd gone through the CD that lay inside. But that's what the repeat button was for.

The fridge was empty, as usual. Money was getting tight lately. The only job he'd had was one that paid up front to take pictures of Larry, something he regretted doing in the long run. As it was all he had to pass the time, Adam ventured to his favorite room in the apartment; the area in which he spent most of his time-the dark room.

He wasn't exactly sure when he fell asleep, but he knew there was something wrong when he woke up. It was too dark; too quiet. He remembered walking through the apartment using his camera to guide him. He found the doll and picked up his bat. And then he heard the noise in the closet. Everything in his body told him to leave, but what would that accomplish? No…he couldn't trust anyone and the idea of returning to live with his brother was out of the question…he owed him too much.

"Who's in there?" he'd asked, not realistically expecting an answer. When he finally opened the door, he was attacked by…whom?

-15 minutes ago-

"Doctor Gordon. I have a task for you." John said, now concentrating fully on the doctor. Lawrence returned his concentration with unwavering eye contact. "Tell me what you know about surgery."

"What do you want to know, John?" Lawrence asked as he got a confused look on his face.

"I want to know how complicated it would be for you to perform a little facial surgery for a subject of mine." John said, never changing his facial expression or even his tone of voice. It baffled Lawrence to think that John could do and say such things as these and not seem to feel a hint of compassion.

Lawrence looked at John with a sense of disbelief. "Facial surgery?" Lawrence was surprised as he heard his voice climb almost to a yell and he began to laugh in disbelief. "Facial surgery? What kind of facial surgery?"

"I need you to remove an eye." Jigsaw explained, still seeming oblivious to feeling.

"Remove an eye?" Lawrence was now wide eyed with disbelief and he couldn't think of what to say. '_I knew I would have to help John, but what kind of sick game does he have in mind?'_ Lawrence thought to himself as he suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"I'm sorry, John. Please excuse me…" Lawrence said, as he grabbed his crutches as headed to the bathroom. When he got there he closed the door and stood in front of the sink. In the mirror just above it, he could see that his face was pale. All of a sudden memories of the bathroom flooded back to his mind. The saw. The shirt, The gun. Good God, all the blood. Lawrence now found himself heaving over the toilet as his breakfast made a comeback. When he was done he returned to the sink and rinsed his face with water, trying to put his stomach at ease. When he felt like he could manage he grabbed his crutches once again, went to his room, and sat down. "What the hell did I get myself into…?" Lawrence asked himself out loud.


	7. Pt 2: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lawrence had not been sitting on his bed for very long when Adam entered the room.

"My God Larry, you look like you did back in that bathroom." Adam said when he saw Lawrence's face. He was pale once again, with dark circles around his eyes. Fortunately it was not from blood loss this time. Adam walked over to the chair sitting next to Lawrence's bed and sat down. "What did he tell you?"

Larry got a concerned look on his face as he looked at Adam. "He told me what he wants me to do." He said softly, and lowered his head into his hands.

"Is it that bad, Larry?" Adam asked, concerned.

"Of course it's bad, Adam!" Lawrence roared, not lifting his head to return Adam's worried stare. He was close to a panic as he lay down on the bed. "God damn it!" Lawrence exclaimed, obviously still furious.

Adam sat and watched Lawrence until he finally started to calm down, and once again, color returned to his face. Adam sighed, not knowing what to say, but he had to know. He once again asked Lawrence his original question.

"What did he tell you Larry?" This time Adam seemed to demand an answer. "And you'd better not flip out, it's just a question." Adam said, unconsciously pointing a finger at Lawrence, as if warning him.

"He told me he wants me to take some fuckin' guy's eye out." Lawrence said, and laughed at how ridiculous he sounded as he ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Adam asked, glaring at Larry with a confused look on his face.

"I don't know…" Lawrence started, now sitting up and looking at Adam as his temper cooled. "I had to leave before I could get any details out of him. I haven't been feeling well lately." Lawrence concluded, still looking at Adam.

"Yeah, I noticed. You don't look so hot, Larry." Adam said, matter-of-factly. "Maybe you should go to a hospital after we're all done-"

"Adam, I'm a doctor; I'll be fine." Lawrence barked as his temper began to flare again.

"Whatever, Larry. If you don't want my help that's fine, but I'm not just gonna sit here and take you're shit." Adam said, rising from his chair and leaving the room.

"Christ, I swear!" Lawrence exclaimed to himself, as things once again began to look bad for him. He was forced into a position to participate in Jigsaw's games in order to repay his debt for freeing Adam, who now seemed to be drifting away from Lawrence very quickly. Lawrence laid back now and began to think.

Just four days ago, he and Adam didn't even know each other, yet they'd become seemingly inseparable after the ordeal in the bathroom. Why shouldn't they be though? They'd gone through a life or death affair together, and without the help of each other, neither Adam nor Lawrence would've made it out of the bathroom alive. But now their relationship was fading quickly; they were constantly fighting about useless things and they always seemed to be on different pages.

-----

Adam walked into the kitchen and sat down, sighing in frustration as he placed his face into his hands and began to rub his temples. He was getting a headache; a bad one. His head was throbbing rhythmically every few seconds and with every pulse the pain grew worse. He couldn't understand why Lawrence was so irritable. As far as Adam was concerned, as soon as they ran their little errands for Jigsaw, their job was done and they could continue living their lives normally. Or as close to normal as one could be after playing one of Jigsaw's games and coming to the brink of death, only to be saved by default.

Adam jumped as John began talking to him, instantly intensifying his headache. "Hello, Adam. Are you ready to hear what I want you to do?" John asked calmly, placing his book on the table. Adam laughed.

"Sure, why not John?" Adam said with a sarcastic tone as he lowered his hands to the table and looked at John, and then he continued "I can't imagine it being much more fun than Larry's little chore."

"Now, now Adam. There's no need for sarcasm." John cautioned, once again adopting his father tone. "I want you to look at these pictures," John said as he handed Adam a file folder with a stack of eight pictures. They appeared to be mug shots. As Adam opened the folder and pulled out the pictures, he once again became confused. "This is what I want you to assist me with. Or rather, these…" John said, pointing to the pictures.

"Uh…okay? What exactly do you want me to do?" Adam asked, still confused.

"I want you to bring them to me." John said, never changing his gaze or his monotonous tone.

"How the hell do you expect me to do that?!" Adam asked, shocked. He pulled out one of the pictures that John handed him. It was a young looking Caucasian man with a neatly trimmed goatee. "Look at this guy. He'd probably kill me if I even tried. Especially with this shit." Adam said, pointing from the picture of the young man to his newly stitched shoulder.

"You'll do it," John started, as he pulled out a small bag and placed it on the table, now digging through it. "With this."

He pulled out a syringe and slid it across the table to Adam. It was filled with a yellow substance. Adam held up the needle and peered at it.

"This?" Adam asked, looking for an explanation.

"This will enfeeble anyone you encounter in seconds. Once they are no longer conscious, you can easily bring them to me. When you have brought everyone in the pictures to me, you are free to go." John explained.

Adam placed the needle back on the table and began to loosen up. "Just like that?" Adam asked.

"Just like that." John responded.

Adam laughed to himself as he stood up from his seat and began to pace the room. He didn't know where he was going to walk, but he needed to move. This was the best news he'd heard in what seemed like ages. Adam was so close to freedom, he could taste it. His headache was gone.

**-----**

Adam promptly returned to Lawrence's room to tell him the good news. When he heard Adam enter the room, Lawrence rolled onto his side in order to see him, although he didn't make the effort to sit up. Adam had a folder in his hand.

"Three weeks." Adam said cheerfully, smiling. "I am so outta here in three weeks."

Lawrence sat up looking confused. "Three weeks?"

"Yep." Adam answered, pacing the room. "He told me what I needed to do for him. The only reason it'll take three weeks is because I need to let my shoulder heal. I could probably be outta here faster if I wanted to work with a gaping wound in my shoulder."

"Slow down, Adam." Lawrence said calmly. Adam stopped pacing and took his usual seat to humor Lawrence. "What's your job?" Lawrence asked after Adam sat.

"I have to help Amanda get these people for John." Adam answered, handing Lawrence the folder.

Lawrence took it hesitantly and slowly opened it, beginning to examine each person. The trim Caucasian man's mug shot was on top. Lawrence picked up the stack of pictures, and started cycling through them, taking the first picture and placing it at the back of the stack after he'd studied it. The second person was an older African American male, followed by a scrawny looking man whose hair was almost completely shaven. Next was a picture of a well built Caucasian man with longer hair than the man in the first photo. Behind his picture was that of a rougher looking Caucasian male, perhaps in his thirties. Next was a picture of a teenage boy. But this picture was not a mug shot… It was followed by a picture of a tough looking brunette, followed by a blonde girl.

"Any idea why he wants these people?" Lawrence asked curiously after he looked through the photos. He put them back in the folder and handed it back to Adam.

"No…I didn't ask. Honestly I don't care as long as it gets me away from this fucked up lifestyle." Adam said as Lawrence returned the folder to him. "Are you coming with me, Larry?" Adam asked.

Lawrence looked at Adam thoughtfully. Even after all of there differences, Adam was still willing to wait for Lawrence to go with him. "You do realize that I'll have to help John after your job is done, right?" Lawrence asked, as if trying to discourage Adam. It didn't work.

"That's okay." Adam said, not even thinking twice.

"Adam, I have a family." Lawrence said, sounding a mix of guilt and worry. He didn't want to let Adam down after he'd been so patient putting up with Lawrence's recent outbursts.

Adam paused for a few moments, picking at a scratch on his palm and then looked back at Lawrence. "I know, Larry." Adam replied and smiled as he continued to pick at his hand.

After what seemed like centuries of silence, Lawrence finally spoke. "I better go talk to John and figure out the details of my job…" He grabbed his crutches and stood up.

"I'll come with you." Adam said, rising from his seat.

Lawrence glanced at Adam as he spoke and then continued on his way to the dining room. When he got there, he was not surprised to see John there, still reading. It was one of the few times that Lawrence felt John looked peaceful. Not wanting to disturb John, Lawrence quietly took a seat at the table, followed by Adam. John, as if expecting Lawrence, set down his book and looked at him. Adam also sat in his usual place at the table and casually set his folder of mug shots down. Almost immediately he began to feel like a third wheel.

"Hello Doctor," John started. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you." Lawrence replied, feeling anxious as he waited for the details of his job. "I came back to hear details about what you want me to do…"

"Yes, of course." He said, picking up Adam's folder. "I believe you've seen these pictures Doctor?" John asked, motioning for Lawrence to take the folder.

"Yes I have." Lawrence said, doing as John wished for him. He set the folder on the table in from of him and opened it to expose the pictures inside.

"The man in the fourth photo will be the one that you'll be performing surgery on." John said, and paused as he waited for Lawrence to pull out the photo for reference. "His name is Michael."

Lawrence lifted his gaze from the picture and looked at John, genuinely confused. "What do you want Michael for? What did he do?"

"He is not unlike your friend Adam," John began, and once again paused as Adam snorted in resentment. "He has spent his life watching others and 'snitching them out' you might say…and he cannot be doing that." John explained.

"I never sn-"

"Adam, he was just making a comparison; he wasn't referring to you. Just relax." Lawrence said, only half paying attention to Adam, who was now boiling with frustration as he was so easily ignored. He then turned his attention to John once again and began asking questions regarding the surgery.

"First of all, why do you want me to remove his eye?" Lawrence asked, still not fully believing what he was supposed to do. It all felt surreal to him; like a dream.

"I'll let you know all of the details when I have Michael in my possession." John replied.

"In your possession?" Adam asked, stunned. "What is he, a toy to you?" Adam now rose from his chair and began pacing the room. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"


	8. Part 2: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Adam now stood in his room looking at his shoulder in the mirror that hung on his door. His shoulder was much better now; the past weeks of rest and recuperation proved to pay off, as his shoulder was almost completely healed, and thanks to Lawrence's routine cleaning of the wound it appeared that it would leave a small scar at the most. After he inspected his shoulder, Adam put on a clean white t-shirt to match his faded blue jeans. He dressed slowly. He couldn't help but think that he should find a way around this. He was hesitant in thinking that he had what it took to willingly abduct these people. He reached over to the coat rack that stood to his left and simply placed his hand on it, not realizing that he'd slowly shifted his weight onto the device as he thought about everything in his past that lead him to this point. He couldn't help but recall the last time he snuck around in secrecy; the last night he'd taken pictures of Lawrence.

-----

It was a relatively normal day for Adam. His fridge stood just as empty as it'd always been in spite of Bob's up front payment to take pictures of the doctor. Adam supposed, reluctantly, that even if he did have an abundance of food, most of it would probably go to waste. The bottom line was that Adam was not happy, and until he found someone or something that would make him happy he would probably continue to neglect his health, having no real reason to take care of himself.

He woke up, discontented, and walked into his small living room. Not so surprisingly, it was already late evening. He'd been sleeping during the day a lot more as he took pictures mostly at night. He sat lazily onto the couch and was still momentarily. He wasn't thinking about the night that would unfold before him; he could do this stuff in his sleep. Most of the people he was paid to watch were too confident to think that anything bad could possibly happen to them. Instead, he thought about what he could've had…the people he'd let down.

Adam began unconsciously tapping his fingers on the arm of the couch.

"I'll call him today." Adam said aloud, as if trying to convince himself.

After moments of contemplation Adam shook his head. He knew he wouldn't call, he was simply procrastinating.

Finally Adam rose from the couch and grabbed his boots. They were worn; he needed a new pair. Perhaps he would buy a new pair in time, but probably not before they'd fallen apart. He quickly threw on the decrepit footwear and laced its frayed laces. Without thinking Adam grabbed his CD player and his camera before leaving his apartment.

He walked complacently down the staircase to the lobby in the small apartment building. An old woman stood checking her mail.

_Must be nice, _Adam thought. It must've been a good six months since he'd received anything other than bills in the mail. He expected nothing else as time passed. Why should he?

It was cold outside. Luckily it wasn't raining today. Adam had long since put off buying any kind of coat. A t-shirt underneath an over shirt would suffice. He walked swiftly to his '81 Honda that sat in the parking lot. The thing was a lemon; it barely ran and neither the radio nor the air worked. He didn't see himself buying a new car any sooner than he would buy new boots though. They just weren't important right now. Nothing was.

Adam slammed the door after entering the car and wasted little time starting it up. He had to hurry; it would be dark soon. He didn't want to miss his client. With any luck he'd still be at home rather than at the hotel. Adam left hastily, his camera hanging faithfully from his neck.

Pulling up to the doctor's house, Adam stopped the car slowly, although he knew it probably wouldn't stop him from hearing it if the engine was shut off too late. Finally satisfied with his position, Adam turned off the car and quietly stepped out. To avoid any additional disturbances he left the door slightly ajar.

He'd only had to wait for a minute or two before the doctor finally left. He was watching his back with a sense of paranoia that struck Adam as slightly strange. There was no time for loitering however. Almost unconsciously, Adam concealed himself beside the corner of the doctor's house, revealing just enough of his camera to take the required shots. A smirk surfaced on his face as he did so without getting caught, yet again.

Adam was startled into action when Lawrence approached his car. Letting go of his camera, Adam jogged back to his car and laid low until his client pulled out of his driveway and onto the road.

"Patience, Adam." The voyeur said aloud to himself. He had a bad habit of jumping the gun, especially in his earlier years on the job. He waited several seconds before starting the car again.

"Fuck!" Adam cursed himself in a whisper. The car wouldn't start. "C'mon…"

Finally a weak growl was heard from under the hood as the car lurched into consciousness. Adam chuckled to himself before speaking to the car again. "Atta girl."

The road was relatively empty that night and was dimly lit with the occasional street light that seemed too dull; tired. Adam knew better than to get too close to the doctor's car. He was paranoid before he ever left the house. Instead, he stayed as far back as possible, keeping an eye on Lawrence's taillights as he went. Roughly twenty minutes later, Adam saw the familiar sign that marked the resting place of the slickly named "Come Inn". It made Adam laugh every time he saw it…this particular time being one of the last times Adam could remember laughing in the recent past.

The Honda pulled into the parking lot several seconds after the BMW. While the Beamer continued onward, Adam quickly pulled into the first space he could find and promptly shut the car off once again. Adam exhaled quietly as he realized that he'd breathed very little on the way to the hotel, too caught up in his work to be bothered.

Lawrence hurriedly walked into the small hotel's lobby and disappeared inside. Adam watched him through his rearview mirror contemplating his next move. He would follow, soon enough.

"Can I help you?" A middle aged, heavy man asked Adam as he entered the small lobby shortly after Lawrence had disappeared to his room.

"Yeah…," Adam started. "A friend of mine is staying here, but I don't know what room he's in. He's a doctor."

"I know who you're talking about. The guy's just about the only person here that owns a suit." The large man laughed. "He's in roo-"

"I need to call him."

**-----**

"This is it…" Adam said to himself as he slipped on the silk robe that hung on the coat rack. He headed out of his room toward the dining room. He was not surprised to see Lawrence there at the opposite end of the table. When he got there, Adam sat, putting on his boots. He could feel his hands begin to shake as he fumbled with the laces, beginning to panic. When he was done, he looked to Lawrence, as he often found himself doing lately.

"I don't know if I can do this Larry." Adam said, sounding panicked. He rested his head in his hands and began to weep silently. "I don't know if I can throw my life away for that madman." Adam continued to weep as Lawrence got up and, using a cane, walked over to Adam. Lawrence was still getting used to his prosthetic foot.

"Adam, it'll be okay, I promise." Lawrence said as he tried to comfort Adam. He placed his hand on Adam's shoulder now. The silk robe seemed polar opposite from the events that had come underway. It seemed to be somewhat divine and beautiful, while their lives were swirling into madness as both Adam and Lawrence were to be forced into committing some of the worst of acts. "You know I always keep my promises." He continued, smiling, as he continued to calm Adam.

Adam looked up at Lawrence as he lowered his hands. His face was pale and tears were streaming down his cheeks. "How can I condemn these people to death after I went through the same thing? After I experienced the hopelessness of feeling like I was going to die in that fucking bathroom, without a chance of escaping!" Adam asked Lawrence, sounding frustrated rather than scared.

Lawrence sat silent, still looking at Adam. He didn't have an answer to Adam's questions.

"I can't do it. I can't." Adam continued. "I'm not gonna be able to live with myself when I turn on the news one day and see that however many people were found dead with puzzle pieces carved into their backs." Adam stood up and began to pace, as he usually did when he was frustrated. The silk robe he was wearing reached just inches above the floor where the soles of his boots were visible just below the bright red trim. Lawrence had to look away as memories from before his abduction came flooding back.

"You have to, Adam." Lawrence replied, sounding worried. John seemed to him like the kind of man who would keep grudges. There was no way John would let Adam simply wash his hands of past events and simply walk away without repaying him in some way. "There's no telling what John will do to you if you don't."

Adam laughed aloud as he listened to Lawrence. "I never thought I'd fear for my life when it came to disobeying a seventy year old cancer patient…" Adam said to himself, as he continued to pace the floor. "I guess you're right Larry. I have no choice." Adam concluded, as he covered his head with the oversized hood on his silk robe. Most of his face was hidden in darkness, surrounded by the magnificent red that lined the robe. Lawrence watched as Adam walked out of the house to meet Amanda who was waiting outside. Lawrence turned to the window and watched them drive away. The sky was an eerie blood red as the sun began to set.

-----

"I know what you're doing, doctor." Adam whispered into the telephone. Without wanting to hear any response from the doctor, Adam hung up the phone and headed back to his car.

It got colder outside. When Adam returned to his car and stepped inside, he felt a harsh near frozen seat welcome him. He sat with his head down slightly for several minutes before removing his camera from his neck and placing it on the seat next to him.

_What the hell am I doing? _Adam asked himself. For a long time he'd been dissatisfied with his life, almost to the point now that he cared little for it. For a long time he was not afraid of death, as it seemed to be just another downside to living his boring life.


	9. Part 2: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Adam stepped outside, knowing that if he elected to go through with his plan to escape he had just seen Lawrence for the last time. Adam wanted to tell Lawrence about his plan, but he knew that it would just place him in greater danger of being found again. And as much as Adam needed Lawrence, although he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't risk being found again. Not after what he'd been through in that bathroom.

Gravel crunched below Adam's feet as he walked to Amanda's Ford Excursion. He was so absorbed in thought that he was just a few feet away by the time he noticed a second figure through the vehicle's tinted windows. Adam was quickly jerked from his thoughts of Lawrence and his mind wandered in a different direction.

"Shit…" Adam sighed. There was no way he'd be able to go through with his plan if John came with them. He began to walk slower as his spirits sunk and tried to come up with a way to talk John into letting him go. There had to be a way…

Adam reached for the passenger door handle and paused momentarily, his mind racing. He took a deep breath and opened the door, shocked at what he saw…or didn't see. John was nowhere in sight. Instead, sitting just behind Amanda, was a familiar looking young man with a shaved head. Adam became confused when he remembered the man from one of the several photos that were given to him by John. Adam stood for a moment and hesitantly climbed into the old Ford. He looked at the man in the back seat and then at Amanda.

"What is he doing here?" Adam asked, pointing to the man in the back seat.

Pushing away Adam's hand, the passenger took it upon himself to answer Adam's question.

"His name is Obi." He said quietly.

"Obi has elected to help you and I." Amanda began. "in order to acquire some….leverage in later affairs." After concluding her short explanation, she put her Ford into gear and began to drive.

After twenty minutes of deep thought and agonizing silence, Adam decided to throw his plan into motion.

"Why drag me into this mess if you have…Obi here to help you?" He asked, trying to sound more curious than anything. His palms started to sweat and he began to grow nervous, fearing that his plan would fail.

"You have to repay John's favor. He couldn't just let you walk away." Amanda replied, sounding amused that Adam would even ask such a question. Her eyes never left the road.

"Why not just let me go. You have all the help you ne-"

"Are you crazy?" Amanda exclaimed, stopping Adam short. "Do you have any idea what the consequences of that will be? Not only for you, but for me?" She seemed irritated as she began to drive more aggressively.

"Look. John never needs to know that I left. You can drop me off right here if you want to. I'll find my own way from here." Adam said and rubbed the sweat from his hands on to his jeans. It suddenly felt hot in the Ford, despite the cool midnight weather. "Please…" He found himself begging.

Amanda pulled to the side of the road, and thought about Adam's request. She looked at him with concern on her face.

"I know what it's like to fear for your life…to narrowly escape a seemingly inevitable death." She said, for the first time speaking with emotion. "You realize what you could be doing to yourself, right?"

"I know. I've been thinking about this ever since I found out what I have to do. But there's no way I can bring myself to take these people and put them in a place that I wouldn't wish on anyone." Adam paused as he shoved memories of the bathroom from his mind. "You don't need me. Let me go."

"Fine. Leave. But don't expect any mercy the next time you're in John's grip." Amanda snapped back.

Not wasting his time, Adam reached for the door and got out. He couldn't believe it; he'd talked his way out. He closed the door and began to walk. Despite his lack of destination, he couldn't help but smile.

**-----**

"Are you ready, Doctor Gordon?" John asked, as if he actually cared what Lawrence's answer would be. But Lawrence knew differently. It didn't matter if he was ready or not. He'd rather wait until he'd heard from Adam, after all, he left two days ago and seemed to have fallen into a black hole.

"Yes, I'm ready." Lawrence replied, not totally honest. His stomach was beginning to hurt again. The task at hand sickened him.

-----

Lawrence looked around, confused, as he exited the Ford Excursion to find the entrance of a utilities tunnel. Lawrence walked a few feet ahead of the tunnel, stopped, and looked at John and Amanda who were just behind him. They walked slowly. It seemed that things were rapidly getting worse for John...

"You want me to perform surgery here?" Lawrence asked as he gestured toward the entrance of the tunnel.

"Not quite." Amanda replied. "We've got a little walking to do." She seemed distracted by something unknown to Lawrence.

Lawrence started to inspect the tunnel as the three began walking. His stomach started to ache worse as he walked further, noticing the brown walls and rusted pipes. It was an all too familiar setting that he was in no hurry to get to know again. As he walked deeper into the tunnel, he couldn't help but get lost in his mind as he tried not to acknowledge his surroundings that, until roughly a month ago, meant certain death. It was Amanda who brought Lawrence back.

"He's in here, Lawrence." She said, opening a rusty steel door.

Lawrence walked in slowly, not knowing what to expect. The room was cold. The concrete floor was dirty; old. The walls looked just as bad. It was discolored in several places, leaving spots of dark and light paint to exist side by side. The ceiling, like the floor, appeared to be concrete, and from it hung a single light bulb. In the center of the room sat a steel surgical table equipped with wheels, on top of which lay Michael, John's candidate for surgery. Lawrence's stomach turned once again as he walked up to the unconscious victim. Next to the table sat a small stand, on top of which were Lawrence's surgical tools, as well as a single key. All were previously set there before Lawrence arrived.

As Lawrence prepared to begin, John and Amanda busied themselves with small details to be taken care of; placement of a metal folding chair, a television equipped with a VCR, and a mirror.

Still standing before Michael, Lawrence took a deep breath, grabbed the scalpel, and gingerly began removing Michael's left eye. When it was finally freed from the socket, blood slowly began to flow down Michael's cheek. Ignoring the blood, Lawrence grabbed the key and placed it in the eye socket, being careful not to damage the optic nerve. Satisfied with the key's placement, Lawrence returned the eye and set down the scalpel. He looked up from his patient in time to see Amanda standing on the chair, painting something on the ceiling. Before he got a chance to read what she was writing, John stole Lawrence's attention.

"Good, Doctor. I've a few more chores for you to do, and then you're free to go." John said after seeing that Lawrence was now done with the surgery. John walked to one corner of the room, where there sat an odd steel contraption. A think wire ran from a timer in the back of the device to a lock that held the opposite end in place at the far end of the room. "I need you to sit Michael in that chair there..." John began, pointing to the chair that Amanda was now stepping off of, "put this on his shoulders, and lock him in."

Amanda set her painting supplies down and walked over to Lawrence, carrying the chair.

"I'll help you, Larry." Amanda said, setting the chair down. She and Lawrence walked over to the table and, balancing his weight on their shoulders, moved Michael to a sitting position in the chair. John wheeled the table out of the room.

"What is this thing...?" Lawrence asked himself aloud as he picked up the death mask and walked it over to the still sleeping Michael, and placed it on his shoulders. After he was sure Michael was balanced on the chair, Lawrence began strapping him in as Amanda vacated their tools from the room and plugged a tape into the VCR.

"It's time to go." John said sternly, and Lawrence and Amanda made their way outside the small room. John placed the painting supplies, along with the surgical tools on the table, and began wheeling it out the way the came. Lawrence's conscience gnawed at his as he heard cries for help while walking away.


	10. Part 2: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked Adam as he entered the hotel. He couldn't help but stare at his new customer. He didn't see someone wearing a robe like that everyday. He could barely see the guys face until he lowered the hood.

"Yeah, I need a room for the night." Adam said, trying to be polite as he removed his wallet from his pocket.

"Oh...kay. I can put you in room 101. That'll cost forty bucks." The man said, still unsure of his customer.

Adam sighed, reached into his wallet, pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the man, who ended up having to empty his register to give Adam his change.

"Slow business?" Adam asked, not really caring. All he wanted to do was go to sleep.

"Yeah..." The man replied, handing Adam his room key. "I'm hoping it'll pi-"

Not having any more patience for talk, Adam swiftly left the office and headed to his room. It wasn't a long walk, thank God. Adam's feet were killing him after walking for hours.

It was a cozy room with dull red orange paint. There was a single bed against the left wall, next to a desk; a TV atop a larger desk against the right. There was a small bathroom at the far end of the room. Adam walked over to the bed and threw himself down, not even taking his boots or robe off, exhausted. Within minutes Adam was asleep.

Adam got up, still groggy. It was still dark outside. He sat up in bed and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He sat momentarily before finally got up and heading toward the bathroom. His boots thudded softly on carpet as he made his way across the room. He slowly opened the bathroom door found there.

"What the fuck is this?" Adam asked himself, confused. He walked further into the bathroom, trying to figure out what was going on. To his right lay Lawrence's foot, motionless in a shining crimson puddle of blood. Adam's heart began to race as the lights when out in the bathroom and he heard the door slam shut. He couldn't see anything and the only thing he could hear was his own hyperventilation. He turned around, heading back toward the door and opened it, not wanting to be trapped here again. Just as he opened the door, he saw a flash of red and long black hair before being stabbed in the neck with a syringe.

"Shit!" Adam exclaimed, sitting up in bed. He reached over to the bedside desk and turned on the lamp sitting there and looked around, proving to himself that he was safe; that it was just a dream. Adam laughed a nervous laugh and reached for the television remote. There was no way he was going to be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Perhaps he could find something worth watching on TV.

The TV came on, displaying some cartoon.

"There's got to be something decent on..." Adam said, as he began flipping through channels. Golf. Music videos. Infomercials. He finally stopped when he got to the local news channel. "Let's see what kinda crazy shit's going on..." he told himself, settling down. He usually fell asleep watching the news.

"...breaking news, we've managed to get an interview with Detective Eric Mathews."

Adam was fully awake now, eyes glued to the screen.

"Eric, what can you tell us about the latest victim that has just recently been found?" The young woman asked Eric. He sat at the opposite end of a small table dressed in a suit. To Adam's surprise this detective was not very well groomed considering his appearance on the news. His hair was not extremely messy, but neither was it combed. Stubble covered his jaw.

"All we know so far is that this is the work of Jigsaw. There are several trademarks of his that suggest that this was his victim." Eric said, trying to sound professional. During his pause, he looked away from the reporter. He had a hidden sorrow in his eyes.

Adam sat wide eyed on his bed as he watched the interview continue.

"And just what are his trademarks, Detective?" Asked the young reporter. At the sound of her voice, Mathews's attention was taken away from his thoughts and back to the interview.

"Well, the victim was found with a puzz-" _click_. Adam turned the television off, wanting to see no more of this 'Eric Mathews' exclusive interview.

"Fuck..." Adam abruptly got out of bed and left the hotel room. John was still quite capable of creating these games, and Adam suddenly felt to close; he needed to get further away.

He walked a few blocks and stopped to use a payphone to call a taxi. He was uneasy waiting for it, as if someone was watching him. As he waited, a dark car pulled up beside him. Adam braced himself, ready to run if need be, as the driver side door opened. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was.

"Adam!" Lawrence exclaimed, smiling.

"Oh my god, Larry! You have no idea how happy I am to see you." Adam replied, visibly much happier.

"Get in the car. You can stay with me for now." Lawrence said, getting back in the car. Adam quickly followed, also getting in the car.

"How are you, Larry?" Adam asked him as they began to drive.

"I've been better...I can't get over what I did today..." Lawrence replied, sounding stressed. "And it doesn't help any that Alison left."

"Alison left? Why the hell did she do that?" Adam asked, shocked.

"She found out that I cheated on her. And then I didn't come home for a month because of this whole 'repayment of debt' thing with John...and it's not like I can tell her what I did." Lawrence trailed, sounding torn.

"I'm sorry, Larry." Adam said, not really knowing what to say regarding the situation. "I h-"

"We're almost there." Lawrence said, trying to drop the conversation. "My house is right up the street."

Adam sighed as once again Lawrence seemed to only half hear him. He sat silently now, watching as Lawrence pulled into a long driveway. A few moments later they pulled into his garage and the car was turned off. Trying to make conversation as he usually did, Adam was the first to speak.

"Nice place, Larry."

"I do what I can..." Lawrence replied as he reached in his pockets and pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door leading into the house. Adam followed Lawrence inside to find himself in a large kitchen. To Adam's right was a beautiful stainless steel stove. To the left of the stove was a stainless steel sink. At the other end of the kitchen was a bar with a marble surface. Everything was spotless.

"Christ, Larry, this place is amazing and I've only seen the kitchen." Adam uttered as he continued to follow Larry who was now leading Adam through the den. Adam's eye was immediately pulled to the sixty inch plasma television sitting in the corner. Adam smiled to himself and continued to walk. He was unsure if he'd ever seen a television so large. On the way to Adam's room, they passed through a hallway littered with countless photos of Alison and Diana, along with others Adam assumed were relatives that he was not so close to.

"Here ya go, Adam. You can sleep here for as long as you like." Lawrence said, opening the door to a well cleaned guest room equipped with a full sized bed, a dresser, and a television. "There are pillows and blankets in this closet, and the bathroom is just across the hall."

"Thanks a lot, Larry; I really appreciate this." Adam said as they turned around and headed for the den once again.

"It's no problem, Adam, really." Lawrence replied, taking a seat on one of his leather couches. Adam sat on the matching leather recliner that sat next to the couch and immediately got comfortable.

"You don't mind if I..." Adam began to ask as he motioned to his boots.

"No, no, go right ahead. Once they're off put them by the front door."

"Thanks, I have to get these boots off; they're killing me." He began untying his right boot, on which the laces were becoming a nuisance. Adam continued to fumble with the laces just as he'd always done, while Lawrence turned on the television to look for something to watch. Adam, remembering what he'd seen not even an hour ago, was brought to attention.

"Larry, they found another victim." Adam stated.

"I know. I'd expected that would happen." Lawrence replied, sounding ashamed.

Adam looked away from his boots and looked at Larry. Something was bothering him.

"Larry, what did you do?" Adam had gone rapidly from concern to confusion as he recalled what Lawrence told him days before in that cramped bedroom.

Lawrence sat silently for a moment before replying.

"I helped..." He started, but trailed.

"Larry, you knew about this guy?" Adam asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I knew. And I could've help him. I should've called the cops. I should've told someone..." Lawrence uttered, becoming visibly flustered.

"Are you crazy? You couldn't have called the cops. You helped Larry. You'd be in prison along with John." Adam exclaimed. He was unsure exactly how he felt about the situation, with so much being taken in. Jigsaw had to be stopped…but Adam found himself thinking that he'd rather know that Lawrence was okay than know that Jigsaw was gone.

"I would've taken a madman off the streets. I could've ended this. All of it." Lawrence barked back.

After a long silence, Lawrence returned his attention to the television. The news was still on; Adam's favorite show. And they managed to catch the end of the exclusive Detective Mathews interview.

"...haven't found any concrete clues pointing to anyone in particular, but we'll find him." Mathews said, matter-of-factly.

"Well, Detective, thank you for coming in." The young reporter said, shaking Mathews's hand.

"For all you people watching at home; if you know anything about Jigsaw, call the police immediately. He is extremely dange-" _click_. Once again the interview was stopped short as Lawrence turned off the television.

"Larry, I-" Adam began, and was once again cut off by Lawrence.

"Adam, I don't need this right now. My family just left me, I have no idea when I'll see my daughter again and I'm partly responsible for killing someone. I've done a pretty good job of tearing myself apart." Frustrated, he rose to go to his room.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I have convinced you to turn yourself in to the police so you could spend the rest of your life in prison?" Adam asked sarcastically as he rose from his seat and starting to pace.

"Don't try to defend yourself by saying you were protecting me. You're just as much a part of this game as I am." Lawrence fired back.

"No, that's where you're wrong, Larry." Adam began. He'd regained the tone that he'd used as he told Lawrence about his ventures in taking his pictures on the nights before their capture. Lawrence looked at him, confused. "I never set foot in those people's houses, I never used one of those damned syringes, and I never killed anyone."


	11. Part 2: Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Adam woke that evening at roughly six o'clock. Judging from his absence, Lawrence was still asleep.

"Time to go…" Adam told himself as he grabbed the set of keys from the kitchen table and headed toward the garage to Lawrence's BMW. He quickly got in the car, started it, and pulled out into the driveway, where he stopped momentarily.

"Sorry, Larry. I had to." Adam put the car in gear and started on his way, once again not knowing his destination, although knowing in his heart that he was still not safely away from John and his games.

Adam's attention was caught two hours later when he began to near a large group of reporters just outside the police station. Scattered around them were four police cars with their lights on. Adam slowed the car and parked it half a block away, took off his silk robe and began to walk toward the group of people; he'd always had a curious nature.

He slowly walked to the left side of the mob of people and was not surprised to see that the reporters and passer-bys were listening to the Chief of Police as he spoke about John. He stood in a suit, surrounded by police officers. He spoke slowly; sternly.

"We have now identified a key suspect in the ongoing investigation into the Jigsaw serial killings." He began.

Adam stood, now a bit surprised, as he heard the news. The crowd around him must have felt the same way, for they were also quiet.

"Earlier this evening," the chief continued, "John Kramer was captured and then questioned in length concerning his involvement in the crimes…"

Adam couldn't help but smile. If they'd caught John, he no longer needed to watch his back in the dark.

"We regret to announce Mr. Kramer has eluded custody and taken lead detective Eric Mathews as his hostage."

"Jesus Christ." Adam sighed. It was only getting worse. John was even smarter than he thought; he'd managed to escape the police when he was surrounded. Adam once again began to feel uneasy.

"…If anyone has information, they are asked to call authorities immediately."

'Lawrence…' Adam thought to himself as the chief continued.

"John Kramer, if you're watching; you showed mercy when you released Eric's son earlier. If you want any chance of mercy with us when we catch you, and we _will_, we damn well better see Eric Mathews in one piece."

Adam laughed quietly to himself. There was no way they were going to catch Jigsaw.

The police chief began to walk inside the police station and the mob of reporters erupted with questions, each yearning to be the one lucky enough to have them answered.

Adam began walking back to Lawrence's car and stopped. Was that? No…it couldn't be. But it was. The last person he wanted to see right now; Scott Tibbs. And just as Adam began to walk away, Scott happened to turn around.

"Fuck; Adam? I thought that fucker Jigsaw iced you." He was now jogging toward Adam, probably wanting the latest scoop on Jigsaw.

"Well, ya thought wrong, Scott." Adam said. He was annoyed. He didn't have the patience for this loser right now.

"So how'd ya get away, man?" Scott persisted.

Adam continued to walk to the car, humoring Scott along the way.

"I'd rather not say. That's none of you business anyway."

Scott grabbed Adam by the shoulder, stopping him.

"What the fuck, man. Why are you ignoring me?" Scott paused then added sarcastically, "Aren't we friends anymore?"

"Not really, no."

Scott laughed to himself.

"You still fuckin' sore about the little…accident at your birthday party?"

"Sure, Scott. How could I have ever gotten over you stabbing me with a rusty nail? That'd be impossible…" Sarcasm. The number one trademark of Adam's anger. He turned around and continued his walk to the car.

"Fuck you, Adam."

Adam stopped and turned around. This had gone on long enough.

"Keep walkin', Fucker."

_SLAM_

Adam stood, shaking his near broken right hand, as Scott fell to the ground grasping his left cheek. He got up slowly with a shocked look on his face.

"I can't believe you just fuckin' did that!" Scott roared as he speared Adam into the front of Lawrence's BMW.

"Ahh…Damn it!" Adam cried, more out of frustration than fear or pain, as he delivered a knee to Scott's stomach.

"I have to pay for that, asshole." Adam said, just before pulling Scott back to a standing position and delivering a jaw-shattering uppercut.

Adam shook his hand once again, this time hissing in pain. He was sure he broke something this time. Scott, meanwhile, found himself on the ground once again, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Fuck _You_, Scott. Have fun with your little boy band." Adam climbed in the car, put it in gear and was on his way again.


	12. Part 3: Chapter 1

**After Saw Part 3**

**Once Again Shrouded in Darkness**

**Chapter 1**

Adam's attention was once again brought away from the road as red and blue lights flashed in his rear view mirror. He started to get worried. He knew exactly what this was about.

He sat in the car, trying to remain calm as he once again started thinking about a way to talk himself out of being arrested. Roughly ten seconds later the officer was at his window. Adam slowly rolled it down.

"Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?"

Adam thought momentarily before answering.

"No, sir."

The officer sighed in disgust.

"Sir, would you step out of the car please?"

Adam looked at him for a few seconds before slowly opening the door and stepping out.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Adam laughed under his breath. This was not his night at all. He proceeded with the officer's command and was immediately hand cuffed. Adam groaned as shots of pain shot up and down his bad arm. The police officer then turned him around so that the two could talk face to face.

"Sir-"

"Adam. My name is Adam."

"Adam…I pulled you over because this vehicle is registered as stolen."

"No, I just borrowed it. It's a friend of mine's car." Adam said. He didn't sound as truthful as he wanted to, especially with such a cliché excuse.

"Really. What is your friend's name?" The officer asked.

"His name is Lawrence Gordon. He lives in the next county over."

The officer stood silently as if considering Adam's statement.

"What are you doing here with his car at ten o'clock at night?"

"I was…" Adam paused. He couldn't say anything about John or he'd be in a lot more trouble. As well as Lawrence. "I-"

"Son, I've had a long day today. Don't lie to me." The officer said, annoyed.

"Larry and I weren't getting along, so I decided to go for a ride." Adam said, knowing he was digging himself into a hole, but not being able to do anything about it.

"Why not?"

Adam shook his head in disbelief as the night continued to worsen. Then he looked back at the cop.

"We got in a fight about something we saw on the news."

The cop laughed aloud. Adam knew his statement sounded ridiculous.

"You got in a fight about something you saw on the news."

"Yeah…"

"Just what did you see on the news that caused such an argument that you just had to leave, taking…"

"Larry."

"Taking Larry's vehicle?" He stressed Lawrence's name.

"I'm not saying another word until I get a lawyer." Adam said, not wanting to drag Lawrence to a place neither of them wanted to go.

"Fine." The cop said, as he took Adam by the arm and led him to his car. "Sir, you are under arrest for grand theft, auto. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the city."

The cop opened the back seat of his car and Adam sat down, frustrated. The cop then closed the door and returned to the front seat of his car.

"I need a tow truck…"

Adam quickly tuned out the officers voice as he started thinking about everything going on. If he revealed what he and Lawrence were talking about, they'd no doubt be questioned about Jigsaw. Whether or not they'd be questioned about involvement at first was questionable, but he still saw it happening. He imagined the police targeting Lawrence more, since he had a history. He was the main suspect in the case of a victim by the name of Mark Rodriguez. Jigsaw had somehow obtained and planted Lawrence's pen light at the crime scene. So how could he find a way to explain everything just enough to keep from ending up in prison?

A tow truck drove past the police car and stopped just in front of Lawrence's car.

The cop turned around in the car and looked at Adam sitting in the back. He had his head leaned back against the seat thinking. He jumped at the sound of the cop's voice.

"Here's what we're gonna do, pal. I'm having your _buddy's_ car towed and brought over to the next county where I will be bringing you. You'll spend some time in jail unless your buddy decides not to press charges. Okay?"

Adam nodded his head slowly, still seeming to be in a world of thought, almost unaware of what the cop was saying.

-----

Adam sat in the jail cell as he was slowly eaten away with both guilt and worry. He couldn't blame Lawrence for calling the cops. Adam shouldn't have taken his car in the first place. But now that the cops were involved with them, things were only going to get more difficult, there was no question in Adam's mind. Adam looked up, surprised, as the security guard knocked on the bars of his cell with his nightstick.

"Lucky for you your buddy-"

"His name is Larry."

"Right._ Larry _decided not to press charges. You're free to go."

Adam rose from the cell bunk and walked out into the hallway, glaring at the security guard as he did so. He entered the lobby and was not surprised to see Lawrence sitting there. Adam just looked at him, not talking or changing his facial expression. Lawrence finished filling out a form and the two walked outside, Lawrence shortly behind Adam.

"What the hell is your problem, Adam?"

"You shouldn't have called the cops, Larry." Adam continued walking, not taking the time to look at Lawrence as he talked.

"Did you forget about the fact that you stole my car without even a note telling me where you were taking it?"

"Oh, yeah. That's it. I got amnesia. I forgot." More sarcasm. Adam continued to walk.

Lawrence stopped following him as he walked to his car that was just returned to his possession.

"Where are you going, Adam?"

"I don't know."

"Adam. Wait."

Adam stood still now, still not facing Lawrence.

"Look. I don't know what you're so mad at me for, and frankly I don't care. But you have no place to go and it's getting dark outside."

Adam stood, still silent.

"Get in the car, Adam. Leave in the morning if you want to, but at least spend the night at my house instead of some grungy hotel."

"Fine…" Adam replied quietly as he walked to the passenger side of Lawrence's car and got in.

Lawrence started the car, but waited momentarily to leave.

"Adam?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to the front of my car?"

Adam chuckled to himself. Lawrence smiled. He hated seeing Adam upset.

"That's an interesting story."

"Oh yeah?" Lawrence asked.

"Yeah. I'll tell you about it on the way home."

"Alright." Lawrence said as he pulled out of his parking space and began driving home once again.

-----

"So that's what happened to your hand, huh?" Lawrence asked as he sat at a small table examining Adam's broken right hand.

"Yeah…I was pretty surprised to see him, not that I ever wanted to see him again."

Lawrence continued to tend to Adam's wound as they talked.

"So what's the deal between you two anyway?"

"We were friends when we were kids. We drifted apart as we got older."

"So what caused all the friction?"

"I was in a band with him; The Wrath of the Gods?"

Lawrence nodded in response as he began to wrap Adam's hand.

"Anyway, Scott as a God complex. He's always right; everyone answers to him. I was taken by John just before a photo shoot for the new album cover." Adam paused and laughed to himself. "When he found out that I was captured, he was pissed at me for missing the shoot. That should say something about him."

"Yeah. Well you're probably better off now after what you did yesterday, aside from this broken hand…" Lawrence replied, still wrapping Adam's hand.

The two sat in silence for the next few minutes as Lawrence finished his work. As usual, it was Adam who spoke first.

"Larry…"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry I was so pissy earlier. I guess Jigsaw still being trap happy has me kinda tense."

"It's no problem, Adam. We all have our bad days. And let's be honest; I was pretty hard to get along with when we were living with John."

Adam chuckled.

"No kidding."

"I'm gonna get a drink, do you want anything while I'm in the kitchen?" Lawrence asked, rising from his seat.

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Suit yourself."

Lawrence walked into the den and stopped, now looking as the television.

"Adam, c'mere."

"What is it?"

Lawrence pointed at the television as he turned the volume up.

"Check this out. Your friend made the news."

Adam stood next to Lawrence in front of the television now as Scott's story unfolded.

"The young man was found duct taped to a chair in his apartment…"

"What the hell…?" Adam said to himself, still watching.

"He was placed in front of a high powered circular saw that he used to free his hands. According to his roommates, Mr. Tibbs was attempting to create a game similar to the recent Jigsaw serial killings in order to 'prove that he could survive one of his games'."

Adam snickered.

One of Scott's roommates appeared on screen.

"He got all pissed off because nobody would tell him anything about Jigsaw, and then he got his idea to film himself trying to escape a homemade test."

"What a _genius_…" Adam sighed, as the interview carried on.

"How was the test supposed to work?" The reporter asked curiously.

"He had us rig an axe attached to a string to a drill. When the timer went off, the string would be cut, releasing the axe."

"And he volunteered himself for this?"

"He came up with the idea. He even tested it before he committed, but there was no changing his mind. As soon as he was duct taped and we turned the saw on, he didn't care about anything other than us keeping him on camera and capturing everything. That's when we left."

"Police have not yet released the tape that was captured by Mr. Tibbs's roommates, saying it is too graphic for general audiences to see."

"Idiot…" Adam uttered, and sat on the couch.

Lawrence followed and sat next to him on the couch.

"Why in God's name would he _want_ to be in one of John's games?"

Adam sat silently, his only answer to Lawrence's question being a shrug of the shoulders.

"I'm sorry Ad-"

"I'm not upset about Scott. He's just another face to me."

"What's wrong then?"

"Every time I get comfortable, every time I feel safe, Jigsaw finds his way back. I keep getting this feeling that I need to leave; that I'm still to close to him. How do you deal with this, Larry?"

"I manage…but my situation is different from yours Adam. I don't have to worry about John coming into my house and kidnapping me again."

Adam got a concerned look on his face.

"Larry. John knows where you live."

"Yeah, obviously."

"So what am I doing here?"

Lawrence looked at Adam, shocked. He was speechless.

"I'm a sitting duck here, Larry."

Seeming to take Adam's thoughts into consideration, Lawrence rose from the couch, grabbing Adam's arm in the process.

"You're right, Adam. You're absolutely right. You need to go."

Lawrence walked over to the small table at which he'd wrapped Adam's hand and grabbed his keys. He handed them over to Adam.

"Here, take my car. Consider it yours; I don't expect to see it again."

"You gonna call the cops on me again?"

"Adam. Take the car. Go. Make sure that wherever you go, you use a different name. Oh, and take this." Lawrence added, giving Adam a handful of money.

Lawrence once again watched Adam drive away, certain that he was seeing Adam for the last time.


	13. Part 3: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Adam drove for more than an hour before finally stopping at a hotel. Just as he was about to open the office door, a couple walked out, laughing; smiling.

"Must be nice to be so carefree…" Adam spoke under his breath, although in reality it wasn't true. Adam cared little about being carefree. What he really longed for was someone he could share that happiness with.

There was a skinny old man standing behind the counter wearing large glasses. Tufts of white hair covered his head. He flashed Adam a smile as he walked through the door.

"Hello, Sir. Can I help you?"

Adam's memories of being arrested came flooding back as the old man labeled Adam 'Sir'. He pushed through the memories and replied.

"Yes, I hope so. I need a room."

"How long will you be staying-"

Not wanting to be called 'Sir' again, Adam interrupted, giving the old man his middle name.

"David. Just for tonight."

"Alright, here's your key. That'll be fifty dollars please."

Adam dug through his pocket and pulled out the money Lawrence had given him. He was shocked to see many large bills.

"Can you break a hundred?"

"Yes, Sir, I can."

Adam shuddered as the old man referred to him as 'Sir' once again.

"Thank you." Adam took his change and retired to his room. It was eerily similar to the one he'd stayed in on his previous venture, but it would have to work.

Adam sat down on the bed and reached for the remote control, this time not searching for something to put him to sleep. He immediately found the local news channel in order to keep himself educated.

-----

Lawrence, having forced Adam away once more roughly and hour ago, was sitting on his couch in the den. He was looking at the television but not really seeing it. Instead, after coming to several realizations about not only his life but that of Adam, he found himself once again lost in a world of thought. He jumped at the sound of the doorbell, being startled into reality. He'd never realized how the doorbell buzzed like nails on a chalkboard. Despite this however, he was hesitant to rise from his seat.

Finally there was a knock at the door. Lawrence stood momentarily, not entirely unsure of who this was or why they were here. He made his way quietly to the door and peeked through the peephole to see a man in a suit standing at the other side of the door. Lawrence laughed a nervous chuckle whilst running his fingers through his hair.

"This is it." Lawrence whispered just loud enough to hear. There was another knock on the door, this time followed by the bellowing voice of the man on the other side.

"Lawrence Gordon, I have a warrant for your arrest." Oddly enough, he didn't sound feverish or angry. For that matter he sounded quite complacent, confusing Larry, who stood on safely opposite the other man. He finally opened the door, reluctantly.

"Mr. Gordon, my name is Mark Hoffman; I'm a detective. I've been advised to take you in."

Lawrence, having known this would happen, was not surprised that this would happen although it didn't make him want this. He looked at the man in front of him before walking to his couch again. Hoffman watched him curiously the entire way.

"Dr. Gordon?"

Lawrence stopped and looked at the detective, confused.

"What did you call me?"

"You are a doctor, aren't you?" Hoffman asked matter-of-factly.

Lawrence stood rubbing his left temple as the thought about what the detective was saying. His statement went against everything Lawrence, in his experience, had come to know about people such as he. This man, Hoffman, was no doubt trained to address his clients, whether innocent or non, in a manner nothing less than formal. The label of 'Mister', although close, was also not ideal. Instead, any man should've been identified as 'Sir'. Also, in his experiences with the police in the past because of this whole Jigsaw game, he'd never been referred to as Doctor, save for by Detectives Tapp and Sing. Generally, this title was spoken to him by interns at the hospital or by others who know him at least a little.

"I'm sorry…" Lawrence started. "Do I know you?"

"No, Doctor, you don't know me." Hoffman had to fight to hide a smirk as he replied. The detective paused and walked closer to the doctor whilst pulling out his handcuffs. "But I know you."


	14. Part 3: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After finally finding the local news, Adam got comfortable on his bed. He'd started to not care again…but exhaustion would do that to a man.

"…keeping you up to date as new information comes in about the Jigsaw serial killings. We've just received news that a doctor has been abducted from her home. Police are unsure if this is the work of Jigsaw, however, due to the recent explosion of events pointing to Jigsaw, they are not excluding him as the captor. Hold on. This just in…it seems that the cops have in their custody a person of interest in one of the cases. They have yet to release a name, however they do say that they found the man's fingerprints on one of the contraptions th-" _click._ Adam turned off the television.

"They've found Lawrence."

Adam immediately left his hotel room and drove back the way he came, once again returning to square one. Upon entering the city, Adam headed to the police station to see Lawrence. Even if he couldn't get Lawrence out of jail, he had to talk to him.

-----

"Can I help you?" The middle aged Asian guard asked Adam as he entered the station.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Lawrence Gordon."

"You can only talk to him for a few minutes."

The guard began digging through his pockets and pulled out a key-ring that must have had thirty keys on it, and shuffled through them. He finally found the key to the cellblock, unlocked the door and walked inside. Adam followed. When they came to Lawrence's cell, the guard lazily took a seat in a metal folding chair four feet away, giving Adam and Lawrence a chance to talk in semi private conditions.

"Lawrence…what happened?"

Lawrence looked up from the cell bunk, surprised at first, but then worried.

"Adam, what are you doing here? You should be in the next state by now."

"I heard on the news that they found a suspect for one of the early victims and…" Adam coughed and lowered his voice, keeping in mind the security guard.

"…and I couldn't help but think about your favor to John."

Lawrence placed his right hand around one of the many bars of the cell door and hung his head in shame briefly.

"They ran the fingerprints that were found on the trap of one of the victims and found a match for my prints. I'd say at this point, I'll be lucky to get a few decades. You were right, Adam."

Adam looked at Lawrence, confused.

"What was I right about?"

"You were right about leaving and not becoming a part of this game. You were right for risking your life instead of putting another one in jeopardy. You wer-"

"Larry, stop. Just stop. You didn't have a choice. You know as well as I do the risks that I've brought upon myself for not doing what John wanted me to do."

Lawrence laughed sarcastically.

"Do you think the jury is going to feel sorry for me? Because that's the only way I could think of that excuse working."

"Ya know, despite all your bitching, you're still better off than I am. At least you're safe in a jail cell. I have to watch my back every waking second. I hardly sleep. And if he does find me; if he decides that he wants to hold a grudge against me for leaving, then I'm probably as good as dead. So you'll get a few decades. I've got a death sentence lurking around every dark corner."

"Time's up, buddy." The security guard rose from his chair and walked toward the cell.

"Lawrence, I'm sorry. I never meant to put you into this position. It was all my fault."

"C'mon. It's time to go" The guard said, grabbing Adam by the arm.

"I'm sorry…"

After saying his final goodbyes to Lawrence, Adam stepped outside of the police station. He couldn't help but think it should be him in that jail cell instead of Lawrence. After all, if it wasn't for Adam, Lawrence would've never been in this position in the first place. Adam looked back at the station entrance once more before walking to the car.

Adam slammed the door, frustrated, after he got in the car. He still couldn't believe both his and Lawrence's horrible luck. Hadn't they been through enough?

Realizing he didn't have the keys out, Adam began digging through his pockets.

"C'mon…c'mon…"

He finally found them in his back right pocket and plugged the keys into the ignition. Adam stopped as he heard a noise come from the back seat; a shuffle.

"What the…"

Adam slowly turned around in his seat, and was suddenly ambushed by an all too familiar figure wearing a dark robe laced with red, hidden with a grotesque pig mask. Before he had a chance to get out of the car, he was stabbed hard in the chest with a syringe. His vision almost immediately began to fade. Despite his efforts to stay awake, Adam fell asleep a few seconds later.


	15. Part 3: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Adam woke up slowly. He looked around the room and began to panic. It was a dark room, with the exception of a small lamp at the opposite end of the room. Something was lying next to the lamp, but from this distance it was impossible to determine what it was. His head felt heavy. Adam began to raise his hands to his face but found himself unable to. His hands were bound to the chair that he was sitting in. Just in front of him, he saw a small side table. Sitting on the table was a tape recorder and a hardened chunk of wax.

Adam immediately began wrestling with his restraints. He'd been through this once before, and knew he'd get nowhere unless he knew what John wanted him to do. After several minutes of flailing, he finally freed his hands and reached for the tape recorder in front of him. He opened it and to his surprise, there was no tape inside.

His gaze now switched to the hardened wax on the table. Adam began digging at the wax and finally removed the oddly shaped brick. It covered the tape that would tell him of his fate. Hurrying now, Adam began to work away at the wax until he'd removed it all, and then he plugged it into the player. The all too familiar voice of John echoed through the room.

"Hello, Adam. Or as you've been calling yourself lately-David. I want to play a game. I've found throughout my short acquaintance with you, David, that you like to take the easy way out of problems you face instead of facing them head on. I've also found that you depend on others to find you a way out of things. Today, your life is truly in the hands of another; a man that you've found yourself depending on ever since I freed you initially." Adam sat, listening intently to the tape.

"The device you're wearing is hooked into your upper and lower jaws. When the timer in the back goes off, your mouth will be permanently ripped open. Think of it like a reverse bear trap. There is only one key to open the devise. It is in the stomach of your dead cellmate. Will you kill a friend to save yourself? Live or die; make your choice."

Adam sat motionless; shocked. He couldn't do this…could he?

Adam quickly stood up and from behind him he heard the timer start.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

Realizing what he'd just done, Adam stumbled forward. He immediately felt for the lock on the back of the device.

_Tick…tick…tick._

Despite his lack of time, Adam didn't rush to the opposite side of the room. When he finally got to the lamp, he realized that what he saw before was a body.

_Tick…tick…tick_

Adam dropped to his knees with a wave of nausea as he realized that the man before him was Lawrence Gordon. He jumped uncomfortably as his left knee landed hard on a scalpel. He slowly moved his knee. He looked at the doctor lying on the floor. Taking a few more precious moments to think, Adam closed his eyes. Just before lifting up the scalpel, Adam shed a single tear.

_Tick…tick…tick_

Adam plunged the knife into the doctor's stomach. He sat momentarily stunned as he looked at his hand still tightly fisted around the blade. Warm blood began quickly trickling from the wound and immediately it was as if Adam's senses were out of control. The blood felt hot against the skin of his hand and the ticking was now a maddening thump that plagued his already aching head. The lamp was suddenly too bright.

Adam removed the scalpel from the doctor's stomach and stabbed him again. More blood spilled onto Adam's hands just before falling onto the cold concrete floor below. It was a deep red violet color that was only enhanced by the white floor beneath. Adam closed his eyes and stabbed him again.

_Tick…tick…tick_

He finally opened his eyes again and dropped the scalpel. He didn't have much time left. He reached his shaking hand toward the gaping wound in the doctor's stomach and stopped in shock as he lay now with his eyes open. Adam's stomach turned, yet he couldn't take his eyes away. Lawrence's eyes were glassy. But he wasn't moving. Could he feel pain?

It was too late for that now and the sickening tick of the timer taunted him to continue. He reached into the doctor's stomach, once again closing his eyes. His hands felt hot as they dug around in his guts. He withdrew his hands after finally finding what he believed to be the stomach, and he opened his eyes once again.

_Tick…tick…tick_

The organ felt sickly slick in his hands. More blood ran down Adam's arms as he cut into the organ searching for the key. After he'd made his incision he reached in. His stomach turned again as his hand was enveloped in the thick stomach walls.

_Tick…tick…tick_

Finally he felt it, the feel of metal against his skin. Adam grasped it between his fingers and pulled it out as quickly as he could while still being careful not to lose it considering the slickness of his hands.

_Tick…tick…tick_

Everything seemed to be moving too fast; the ticking was suddenly explosive, with less than a second between ticks. He quickly felt for the lock on the back of the beartrap. Adam's breathing became for frantic. He was near a panic.

After several frustrating seconds he found the lock. He inserted the key and violently moved the lock from its place. The ticking grew louder; it was all Adam could hear now. '_Get it off…get it off….'_

Finally he heard the sound of the mask unlocking and threw it to the ground sparing little time. It flew open just before it hit the ground with a heavy thud. Adam screamed a blood curdling scream as he held his hands in front of his face and tried hard not to vomit. He continued to cry, all the while wanting to wipe his tears from his face although not wanting the now dead doctor's blood anywhere else on his skin. Just having it on his hands was enough to tear him apart.

Adam was suddenly brought to attention when he heard the quiet squeal of rusted metal. He stopped crying as he simply stared ahead of him. Now surfacing in the light of the small lamp was a tricycle, on top of which was…a dummy? Adam continued to stare in both confusion and disbelief. The tricycle stopped just in front of him and all was agonizingly silent for several seconds before the doll began to speak using Jigsaw's voice.

"Congratulations. You are still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore."

Adam collapsed to his hands and knees filled with feelings of relief while still being plagued with guilt and disgust at what he had done in order to escape with his life. Adam unconsciously used the bloody sleeve of his shirt to wipe his face and regain some control. He slowly rose to his feet feeling light headed, tired, and utterly disgusted. He walked slowly toward the exit of the room he woke in and winced and he opened the door, flooding the small warehouse with bright sunlight. He stepped outside and collapsed against the wall of the warehouse and began to cry again.

-----

"Tell me what happened, Adam. In detail." Detective Hoffman said as he glared at Adam, who was now sitting across from him at a small table that was barely big enough for the both of them. Adam took a long drag from the cigarette he was smoking, quite strenuously for that matter as he sat in hand cuffs.

"Those photos don't have enough detail in them?" Adam asked, annoyed. There sat a small pile of pictures in front of him that were taken from the crime scene. The chair he woke up in was pictured, as well as the scalpel that was now red with blood. The detective looked at Adam, obviously not liking his tone.

"I wanna hear it from you in your words from the beginning." The detective replied.

Adam began nervously rubbing his bad shoulder as he started telling his story to the detective.

"I'd just come from the jail…." Adam drifted, still a little shocked from recent affairs.

"What were you doing at the jail?" The detective asked.

"I was visiting a friend of mine who was dealt a bad hand." Adam replied, quickly becoming annoyed with the detectives questioning. He took another drag from his cigarette.

"Do you have any idea why anyone would want to do this to you?"

Adam sat silent as he contemplated what to say. Of course he knew why…and he knew who. But was it worth getting both he and Lawrence into anymore trouble to admit that?

"No…I don't know why who ever did this picked me…but they did."

"What do you remember next?"

Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he prepared himself to temporarily return to the situation. "…Waking up…I couldn't move at first. I was bound to the chair." Adam said, motioning toward one of the pictures lying on the table. He took another drag of his cigarette that he held in his now shaking hand as he recalled the trap. When I finally freed myself I listened to the tape that told me what to do."

The detective nodded, perhaps unconsciously as he recalled the tape.

"I got up from the chair and the timer started…."

The detective shuffled though a pile of papers before finally coming to one that he started reading.

"It says here in the report that after the timer started-that's when you saw the body." He stopped and looked at Adam for confirmation.

"Yeah…I didn't know what it was at first, but when I got closer I knew." Adam paused as a cold shiver traveled down his spine. "I picked up the scalpel…and…I did what he told me t-"

"Paralysis." The Detective started. "He wasn't dead he just couldn't move."

Adam stared blankly at the table silently as he listened to the man talk.

"You cut open someone who was still breathing."

"I know!" Adam said annoyed at the detective and sickened by his own actions. Adam fell apart. He began crying again and rested his head in his arms as he started to feel sick again. The guilt at the pit of his stomach was slowly consuming him alive. The Detective sat lazily back in his chair with a smirk on his face as Adam broke apart.

"What happened after you found the key?" The Detective asked, now with little remorse in his voice, if any at all.

Adam managed to calm just enough to finish his story.

"I removed the device…" Adam paused to take another drag from his cigarette. "and some damned doll told me congratulations for surviving; that I was now grateful to be alive…" Adam broke down again. This was simply too much pressure.

"Are you grateful, Adam?"


End file.
